Manufacture of chlorocresols



Patented Jan. 17, 1950 Reginald l homas Foster,

fBii'kenhcafl, England,

.assignor to 'ilmperial Chemical :ited,;a corporation of Grcw'tlBnita'in No "Drawing. Application Jiily 19. 5, crial No. 607;084. In Great'Britain April 21.31933 unvention relates "to improvements in Ithc manufacture of :organic :nompounds, and more particularly "to the manufacture .of lmonochlorocresols.

-Imthe production-hf nuclear chlorinatedzmonochlorocresols it has ihitherto been the practice to :dissolve the :cresol inasolvent such as :carbon tetrachloride :or glacial acetic acid and :to pass in the chlorine "with :cooling.

According to the present invention ;a :process for the production of zmonochloronresols zoomprises "treating :a molten cresol with chlorine ;:in the absence r of a :solvent cintil .a reaction product is ;formed containing approximately 1 atom 1 chlorine :per molecule. Advantageously :the re.- action product is submitted :to nractional 'iiistillation so as to isolate ataleastzonezisomer of :monochlorocresol in :a :substantially pure iorm.

The -chlorination1mayhe :carried out :at 101261.- nary :or elevated temperatures. Thus the :reaction mixture may the cooled .rso as to maintain the reaction temperature .below, :say, All 16., 01 :no cooling :may .be employed, in which case the meat evolved :during the process will :cause "the atem perature to rise considerably above this, for coxample to between :and :90 11., {depending on the -panticular :conditions under which the process is conducted. at is zalSO SIJOSSiblG ltozcarry out the process fin'the presence of 131 chlorination catalyst, for example, :rlnely divided -ir.on, chloride, antimony :trichloride, bromine :or iodine. .'In many cases where toluene :derivatives are chlorinated the conditions of :chlorination.afiectthemointat which themoleculerreacts,

low temperatures and the presence of iron, :for :3

example, favouring nuclear chlorination, while high temperatures favour side-chain chlorination. It has "been ;'found, however, in the case of thecresols that at bothhigh andllow temperatures and in either the presence of absence .of la catalyst, chlorination occurs in the nucleus, and that it is thus mot necessary to-observe rigid control of temperature or other conditions .of v.reaction 'to .ensure the formation of the nuclear substituted product. Thus contrary to expectation it is possible to conduct the chlorination at elevated temperatures of the order of (80 *to 90 0., with a consequent 'gain tin the :rate which the process can be :carried out, without incurring any risk of producing impurities product through rsidechain -,chlorination.

In general a mixture of isomeric monochlorocresols is produced which may be submitted to fractional distillation followed, if desired, by other separation processes such as fractional crystallisation, to obtain fractions containing the isomers in different proportions, or to obtain the individual isomers. Such processes will also serve to remove any unreacted cresol or any dlchlorocresol which mayhave been formed.

6 rGlaimS, (01.260-e623) The reaction between the cresol and the chlorine is accompaniedby'the evolution o'f'hydrogen chloride, and, if desired, the quantity of hydro- ;gen chloride revolved may be taken as .a measure :of the degree of chlorination, the formation of :1 molecule of hydrogen chloride indicating the introduction 1 :1 atom at chlorine ,per .molecule .of the cresol. lq'thermethods ofiollowingthe course of the ,reactionmayibe employed, as ior example :by noting the consumption ,of chlorine or the increase infiens'ity n'f Ithe reaction product. The chlorination .may be continued until rathermore than 1 atom of chlorine per molecule "has reacted, for example 1 ato 12 atoms per molecule. .It ,is preferred, however, to .stop .the chlorination when rather :less than 1 atom of chlorine per molecule has .been ,intrnduced, say, between 0.9 atom and 1.0 atom of chlorine per molecule. Under .such circumstances the formation of dichlorocresols is almost completelyavoided and in conscouence the subsequent jractionation ,processiiorseparalting 'thelisomers present is rendered easier. ,Either iortho, ameta .or ,para cresol may be chlorinated -as described in this specification, or mixtures of 'two-orlthreeof the cresols as, for example, ithe indusltr'ial material known .as creasylic acid.

"The subsequent eteps iii iractionating the crude. product may be carried out at ordinary or reduced pressure or ibdth in turn, and they may he ,iollowed .if desired for example, a :iractional crystallisation process.

I'Jlhe faflllowing examples illustrate but do not limit the intention all parts being parts by weig t.

it'xample ;1

Chlorine passed finto 198 parts of .go-cresol cooled so itlrat'the temperature was kept below 55 U. at such a :rate that absorption .of chlorine :was substantially complete. At the end of Ll/ hours the cresol had increased "in weightby '66 parts and chlorination was then stopped. The product was distilled through a fractionation column at a pressure of mm. mercury and .frac'tions were collected .as follows:

Fraction 2 boiling between C. and 153 C./110 mm. remained liquid at 10 C. and was a mixture of 4-ohloro-o-creso1 and G-chloroo-cresol.

Fraction 3, most of which distilled over between 161 C. and 162 C., had a setting point of 35 C. and was crude 4-chloro-o-cresol.

Example 2 o-Cresol was chlorinated by passing in chlorine:

at such a rate that it was substantially completely absorbed, the temperature being allowed to rise to 85 C., no cooling being employed. The

, chloro-cresol which comprises introducing chlointroduction of chlorine was continued until the.

product contained 1.16 atoms of chlorine permolecule. 100 parts of the product were distilled at a pressure of 110 mm. of mercury and fractions were collected as follows:

Fraction 35 Weight C'. Parts Up to 130 1. 7 130-160 43. s 160-163 50.8 3. 8

4-chloro-o-cresol, M. P. 48 C. separated out.

Example 3 Chlorinewas passed into 200 parts of p-cresol until the weight of the reaction mixture had increased by 70 parts, corresponding to combination with the cresol of 1.1 atoms of chlorine per molecule. During the chlorination. the temperature was allowed to rise to 100 C.

The chlorinated material was then distilled at 18 mm. pressure, giving 164 parts of product boiling between 92 C. and 103 C. and aresidue wei hing 101 parts. The fraction boiling at 92 C. to 103 C./ 18 mm. was redistilled at atmospheric pressure giving 125 parts of Z-c'hIOro-p-cresol boiling over the range 198 C. to 203 C., and

leaving a residue of 83 parts. Example 4 3357 parts of o-cresol were treated with chlorine while passing the chlorine in as rapidly as it was absorbed, the temperature being allowed to rise to between 80 C. and 90 stopped when 1022 parts of chlorine had reacted corresponding to the introduction into the cresol of approximately 0.96 atom of, chlorine per molecule. 4351 parts of the chlorinated product were distilled up a 4 ft. fractionation column,-random packed with A; in. Raschig rings, andgave the following fractions:

Fraction 2 was 6-chloro-o-cresol containing a C. Chlorination was rine into a solventless molten cresol at a temperature between 80 C. and 100 0., and terminating the introduction of chlorine when the reaction product contains, in combination, be-

, tween 0.9 and 1.2 atoms of chlorine per molecule.

..2 A process for the production of a monochloro-cresol which comprises introducing chrine into a solventless molten cresol at a temperature between C. and C., and terminating the introduction of chlorine when the reaction product contains, in combination, between 0.9 and 1.0 atoms of chlorine per molecule.

3. A process for the production of monochloroo-cresol which comprises introducing chlorine into solventless molten o-cresol at a temperature between 80 C. and 100 C., and terminating the introduction of chlorine when the reaction product contains, in combination, between 0.9 and 1.2 atoms of chlorine per molecule.

4. A process for the production of monochloroo-cresol which comprises introducing chlorine into solventless molten o-cresol at a temperature between 80 C. and 100 C., and terminating the introduction of chlorine when the reaction product contains, in combination, between 0.9 and 1.0 atoms of chlorine per molecule.

5. A process for the production of a monochlorocresol which comprises introducing chlorine into a solventless mixture of molten cresols at a temperature between 80 C. and 100 0., and terminating in the introduction of chlorine when the reaction product contains, in combination, between 0.9 and 1.2 atoms of chlorine per molecule.

6. A process for the production of a monochlorocresol which comprises introducing chlorine into a solventless mixture of molten cresols at a temperature between 80 C. and 100 C., and terminating in the introduction of chlorine when the reaction product contains, in combination, between 0.9 and 1.0 atoms of chlorine per molecule, subjecting the reaction product to fractional distillation and isolating at least one fraction consisting of a substantially pure monochlorocresol.

REGINALD THOMAS FOSTER.

- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Von Walther et al., Jour. fur Prak. Chemie, vol. 199, N. F. 91, 867-8 (1915).

Claus et al. (A) Jour. fur Prak. Chemie, vol. 146, N. F. 38, 328-9 (1888).

Claus et al. (B) Berichte, vol. 16, 1598-9 (1883),

Number 

1. A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF A MONOCHLORO-CRESOL WHICH COMPRISES INTRODUCING CHLORINE INTO A SOLVENTLESS MOLTEN CRESOL AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 80* C. AND 100* C., AND TERMINATING THE INTRODUCTION OF CHLORINE WHEN THE REACTION PRODUCT CONTAINS, IN COMBINATION, BETWEEN 0.9 AND 1.2 ATOMS OF CHLORINE PER MOLECULE. 